TNA CONSIDERS LAW POSTPONING ALL LOCAL ELECTIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 003832

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/15/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: TNA CONSIDERS LAW POSTPONING ALL LOCAL ELECTIONS

REF: A) HILLAH 202 B) KIRKUK 39 C) BAGHDAD 3204

Classified By: Political Counselor Robert Ford for reasons
1.4(b) and (d)


1. (U) TNA read on September 13 the following draft:

BEGIN TEXT:

The Draft Law of the Local Councils Elections'
Postponement.

Article 1
The local councils' elections that are mentioned in Chapter
4 in Order Number 71 for year 2004 shall be postponed until
further notice.

Article 2
This law shall be in force on the date of its issuance and
shall be published into the official gazette.

End text.


2. (SBU) TNA Legal Committee Chairman Mushen Sadoon
provided Poloff with a copy of the text September 14.
Sadoon declined to comment on the law's genesis, outside of
indicating that the measure had originated in his
committee.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


3. (C) If passed, this law would effectively postpone all
sub-governorate elections in Iraq. Understandably focused
on preparations for the national elections, the Iraqi
election commission has thus far declined to assist
governorate council efforts to conduct local elections.
Nevertheless, Wasit's governorate council held some local
elections (ref a) and Salad ad-Din's governorate council
was ready to start local elections (ref b). The Baghdad
governorate council also was seriously considering how to
hold local elections (ref c). If the law passes, such
plans are now on indefinite hold. End Comment.
Satterfield